How Can It Be? TF and RF Better Than Slowfire!

A bunch of us got together last night and shot 5 NRA Short Courses.

In almost every instance my timed and rapid were better than my slow. In talking with the others, the same thing is true of many of them.

To me, that means I am over-thinking slowfire.

I am taking 6 or 7 minutes to shoot my slowfire. Carefully working on a perfect sight alignment, pulling the trigger straight back, breath control, etc.... If something feels off, I put the gun down. Everything very Zen.

Part of me says to just grip it and rip it.

(Broke 90 for the first time last night - actually 4 times out of the 15 targets - all on timed fire.)

Advice and comments?

For most people, their timed and rapid will be better than their slowfire. The 10 ring is the same size at 25 yards as it is in 50 yards, so yes it'll be harder to hit. Mentally people block themselves from performing well at 50 yards, and feel "relieved" to shoot the "easy" 25 yard targets.

For me, my slowfire 45 is better than my rapid fire 45 right now. Got to put in more training with rapid fire.

Aside from the 10 ring being the same size at both distances. The reason "most" pople tend to shoot better short lines scores than long line scores is because of the way they approach the shot or string of shots. Take into account also that we are willing to accept a little less perfect sight alignment when shooting sustained fire and that is perfectly acceptable since the difference in distance will still allow shot to be in or near the aiming black, this is due the sight radius and and distace to the target. 10's and 9's shot at 25 are ugly at 50 yards.



In Slow fire you obviously have more time for each individual shot. Not necessarily alway a good thing. The problem with more time is we tend to try to dress up the shot and make it perfect. This all well and good as long as the trigger is still moving to the rear or if shooting a crisp trigger the trigger finger is consistently applying pressure. But to often the trigger is stopped as we wait to see perfect sight alignment/sight picture. When we see the sights aligned or the dot in the middle of the black then the trigger is snatched to the rear cause we are afraid that that perfect sight picture will go away before the shot breaks. In all actuallity we have pulled the trigger so fast that the sights or dot leave the middle of the black so fast that we often don't even see it. Thus are shots are not where we last saw the sights or dot.



So what is the cure? Well it is not shooting slow fire like TF or RF but using some of the trigger control we use in TF and RF in Slow Fire. When shooting SF the trigger has got to be moving, or again if shooting a crisp trigger have consistent pressure building, BEFORE perfect sight picture is acquired. This is something that takes a little time to perfect and a LOT of dry firing. In sustained fire we are more comcerned with the getting the shots off in the alotted time and less with the perfection of of sight picture, this is actually a better thing than trying to dress up shots and jerk the trigger.



This is discussed in depth on my website and also at the Zins/Moody Bullseye clinics.